In search of common ground: remaking public policy on human life issues
Do Americans still hold certain truths to be self-evident? Do all human beings possess inalienable rights endowed by their creator? Are all lives of equal value? And if so, how do those core beliefs translate into public policy on issues such as hea...
Issues of Latino identity: the yearning to be...
Though Hispanic people journey to the United States from different homelands, do they all share the same heritage and concerns? This program takes a detailed look at the fastest-growing minority in the U.S. and what it means to be Latino and America...
A matter of life and death: the politics of abortion and capital punishment
When it comes to situations involving life and death, the United States is strongly polarized. Liberals commonly support the legality of abortion as a private matter of personal choice but condemn the death penalty as inhumane, while conservatives o...
America the rude
As common courtesy becomes less common and good taste is all but a contradiction of terms, Americans continue to push the envelope of socially acceptable behavior. Does the Golden Rule still apply, or are people too busy to care about the feelings o...
The Self-Made Society
From the celebrated cowboy gunslingers of the Wild West to the rags-to-riches story of Horatio Alger, Americans have glorified the rugged, self-reliant individualist who saves the day or builds a fortune. But what are the long-term consequences of s...
The Right Choice? Charter Schools and Voucher Systems
In theory, America’s public schools provide an equal-opportunity education for children of all walks of life. Unfortunately, in practice it does not always work out that way. For many families, charter schools and voucher systems are providing wha...